Pages

Friday, May 18, 2012

The Pine Tree: A Story

Once upon a time there was a big huge pine tree that lived on a ridge in the forest. Then one day a handsome, yet personable, young builder decided he was going to build a house on the same ridge. He did just that, respecting the beautiful and magnificent pine and to his delight, a wonderful couple from Virginia bought the beautiful home he'd built.

The new owners, an old man and woman, looked out at the tall massive pine tree standing erect, it's branches swaying in the heavy winds during the winter. When Spring came, the big tree was as glad to feel the sun warming it's massive trunk as the owners were to know they could now begin working in the yard.

Now, the new owners decided that one of their favorite benches would look awesome right under the tree. After all, the family of rabbits was close by nestled among the ferns at the base of the pine and it only seemed fitting that this old wooden bench would be a good fit.

One sunny afternoon, the old woman decided that she needed to sit and relax on the bench beneath the big pine. Swinging her bare feet up onto the bench she sat patiently waiting for the builder who was planning on stopping by.

And so it was. The young builder maneuvered his truck up the gravel road and into the driveway pulling a trailer carrying some of his best top soil so the new owners could continue working on the "yard that isn't...yet."

Something was wrong. When the woman went to get off the bench, she felt something sticky on the bottoms of her bare feet and the back of her jeans. Yep...she had sat in sap...put her feet in sap and was all sticky!!

That afternoon, as the old man and the young builder continued to spread the soil, the old woman moved the bench...

BE GRATEFUL...

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.~ Melody Beattie

Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues, it is the parent of all others.